michaelkeel
FollowWhite Sands National Monument - New Mexico As I've explained in my previous entries, the desert, wow, one my main places - feels like home every time I am there...
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White Sands National Monument - New Mexico As I've explained in my previous entries, the desert, wow, one my main places - feels like home every time I am there. I'm most comfortable and productive in the Desert and the Eastern Sierras when it comes to photography. Anyhow, I titled this after a dinosaur because that's what it reminded me of when I first walked upon this dune. Made me think of our dad bringing me and my brother to the Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science and seeing the dinosaur exhibits. I could see the back of a Brontosaurus slowly getting up from his slumber - sand drifting across the surface of his cracked skin as he rose from the earth. LOL. Something like that.
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Action Award
Top Shot Award 21
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Contest Finalist in Depth In Black And White Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Project Abstract Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Textures In Black And White Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Patterns In Nature Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at White Sands National Monument - New MexicoTime
The shot was actually made at a pretty harsh time. I think it was about 3pm. Sun was just beating down.Lighting
The lighting this day was harsh, and everything was extremely bright. Bouncing off the white sand. My only advice. Bring sunglasses when you go here. f/10-f/16. It was a strange day of experimenting to get the shot right. Trial and error.Equipment
Nikon D610, 14-24 Nikon Lens. F/10, ISO 400, -0.3 exposure comp, at 24mm, handheldInspiration
White Sands National Monument - New Mexico The desert, wow, one my main places - feels like home every time I am there. I'm most comfortable and productive in the Desert and the Eastern Sierras when it comes to photography. Anyhow, I titled this after a dinosaur because well, that's what it reminded me of when I first walked upon this dune. Made me think of my dad bringing me and my brother to the Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science and seeing the dinosaur exhibits. I could see the back of a Brontosaurus slowly getting up from his slumber - sand drifting across the surface of his cracked skin as he rose from the earth. LOL. Something like that.Editing
Very minimal processing. The shot was imagined in Black and White, brought the highlights down the most, burned some parts of the sand/grain so that you can see the detail more of the sparkle.In my camera bag
Normally, it is a D750 these days or the D800 in a Lowepro bag Everything is Nikon 24-70 2.8 14-24 2.8 135 2.0D 85mm 1.4D On the street I just carry a 50mm 1.4G and a 28mm 1.8GFeedback
I'm not good at this. Giving advice. Really for me, it all comes down to practice, experiment, change settings, look for new things, patience, practice, repeat over and over. Go with your gut. When I make photos, most of them are spur of the moment. I'll be walking and then something catches my eye and I have to make a photo of it. There's this feeling I get of joy mixed with anxiety. Go with what you feel, don't compare your work to others too much, you will just torture yourself, nitpicking yourself apart. Which is really hard to do. We/artists, really are the worst critics of ourselves. One thing I do know for sure though - get your framing right the first time around. Don't think about photoshop, lightroom or any other program. You are a photographer. Not a graphic designer. Cropping lessens the quality of your photos little by little. Get your horizons straight, experiment with your aperture settings. Don't be afraid to screw on a filter onto the ACTUAL lens! Why do it after in post? Do it now! Get it right now! I think this is the most important thing LOST in new photography these days. Too much focusing on the software, or always thinking during a shot, you will fix it later. I find it depressing. I think everyone should really try to get things right the first time around. But what the hell do I know? Just my opinion. Happy Shooting.